Reading Group Guide

1. In what ways are Alex and the murdered doctor, Gemma Dogen, alike or dislike? Given their outward similarities, do you think that Gemma’s death has any special resonance for Alex?

2. Although this story is fictional, it reveals some pretty unsettling things about the security of big-city hospitals. Did the novel change how you think about this world?

3. What connections does Alex have to the world of medicine? Do these connections influence the way that she pursues this case?

4. How would you describe Alex and Mike Chapman’s relationship? What makes them such a great duo? This story places them in especially close proximity while they are in England. Why do you think their relationship remains platonic? Do you find yourself rooting for them to get together?

5. There’s a lot we learn in this novel—from the changes in rape laws over the last twenty-five years to the kinds of women that make the best jurors in date rape trials. How does learning about the law and the way that crimes are prosecuted affect your reading of the story?

6. On the surface, Alex seems like the kind of person who would enjoy letting off steam with a sport like kick boxing, but instead she is drawn to the world of ballet. What makes ballet so appealing to her? Is it a good fit for her character?

7. At one point in the story, Chapman comments on the murders and remarks, “We’re all likely to die” (p. 282). What point is he trying to make? Where else does this phrase appear and how is it important to the story?

8. While inviting Alex to a dinner, her friend Joan chides her, “don’t be a sex crimes prosecutor tonight…be a girl” (p. 200). Do you agree with Joan that sometimes Alex forgets to be a girl?

9. The media is an important presence in Alex’s world, despite the fact that she is often at odds with it. How do the reporters that constantly dog her heels add to the flavor of the book—and help move the story along?

10. On their flight to England, Alex and Chapman talk about famous people whom they admire and whose shoes they’d like to stand in. What people did each of them choose, and what do their picks say about them?

11. In the acknowledgments, Linda Fairstein tells us that “every crime in this book is based on an actual event.” Does learning this change your perception of the novel?

12. At a pretty crucial point in the investigation, Alex and Chapman are sent off to England for a conference. How does this interlude serve the novel? Did it break up the story or enhance it?

13. Why does Alex come so uncharacteristically unglued when she learns about the connection between Drew Renaud and Gemma Dogen?